Wireless power transmitter and wireless power transmission method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power transmission method thereof The wireless power transmitter, which wirelessly transmits power to a wireless power receiver, includes a power source to generate AC power, a transmission coil receiving power from the power source to generate a magnetic field, a transmission resonance coil coupled with the transmission coil to transmit power generated by the magnetic field to the wireless power receiver using resonance, and a detector detecting an existence state of the wireless power receiver by detecting power transmitted through the transmission resonance coil.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a wireless power transmitter and a wirelesspower transmission method thereof. In more particular, the disclosurerelates to a wireless power transmitter capable of effectivelytransmitting power by actively controlling the power according to therecognition of a wireless power receiver, and a wireless powertransmission method thereof.

BACKGROUND ART

A wireless power transmission or a wireless energy transfer refers to atechnology of wirelessly transferring electric energy to desireddevices. In the 1800's, an electric motor or a transformer employing theprinciple of electromagnetic induction has been extensively used andthen a method for transmitting electrical energy by irradiatingelectromagnetic waves, such as radio waves or lasers, has beensuggested. Actually, electrical toothbrushes or electrical razors, whichare frequently used in daily life, are charged based on the principle ofelectromagnetic induction. Until now, the long-distance transmissionusing the magnetic induction, the resonance and the short-wavelengthradio frequency has been used as the wireless energy transfer scheme.

The wireless power transmission system includes a transmitter and areceiver. The transmitter wirelessly transmits power to the receiver,and the receiver receives the power from the transmitter and performsthe operation according to the reception of the power.

In this case, since the transmitter cannot recognize the operating stateof the receiver, the transmitter continuously transmits power to thereceiver so that the receiver can normally operate always.

However, the transmitter always transmits the power to the receiverregardless of the operating state of the receiver as described above, sothat high voltage is applied to the coil of the transmitter.Accordingly, when power is transmitted to the receiver thereafter, theerroneous operation or the breakage of the transmitter may occur. Inaddition, since the transmitter transmits the predetermined quantity ofpower to the receiver regardless of the quantity of power required bythe load of the receiver, remaining power except for the power used inthe load of the receiver may be wasted.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the existence state of areceiver around a transmitter is determined, and power can beselectively transmitted to the receiver according to the detectionresult.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the disclosure, the quantityof power required by the receiver is recognized, so that only thequantity of power necessary for the receiver can be selectivelytransmitted.

Further, according to another embodiment of the disclosure, if thereceiver is not located in a place in which power can be transmitted,high voltage can be prevented from being applied to the coil of thetransmitter, so that the erroneous operation or the breakage of thetransmitter can be prevented.

Solution to Problem

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided awireless power transmitter to wirelessly transmit power to a wirelesspower receiver. The wireless power transmitter includes a power sourceto generate AC power, a transmission coil receiving power from the powersource to generate a magnetic field, a transmission resonance coilcoupled with the transmission coil to transmit power to the wirelesspower receiver using resonance, and a detector detecting an existencestate of the wireless power receiver by detecting power transmittedthrough the transmission resonance coil.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided awireless power transmission method by a wireless power transmitter towirelessly transmit power to a wireless power receiver. The wirelesspower transmission method includes generating AC power, wirelesslytransmitting power supplied from a power source to the wireless powerreceiver, detecting the transmitted power, and detecting an existencestate of the wireless power receiver by detecting the transmitted power.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

As described above, according to the embodiment of the disclosure, theoutput of the power is determined according to the existence state of areceiver, and the intensity of the power is adjusted according to theapproach state of the receiver, so that the loss of power to bemeaningless wasted can be minimized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing a wireless power transmission system accordingto one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a transmission coil according to oneembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a powersource and a transmitter according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a receptionresonance coil, a reception coil, a rectifier circuit, and a loadaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) are views showing coils according to the embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a transmitter according to theembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the transmission state of power according tothe embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of wirelessly transmitting poweraccording to the embodiment of the disclosure.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure will be describedin more detail with reference to accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, the same elements will be assigned with the same referencenumerals for the purpose of obvious comprehension of the disclosure, andthe repeated description of the same element will be omitted in order toavoid redundancy.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a wireless power transmission system accordingto one embodiment of the disclosure;

Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless power transmission system may includea power source 10, a transmitter 20, a receiver 30, a rectifier circuit40, and a load 50.

Hereinafter, the operation of the wireless power transmission systemhaving the above structure will be described. The power generated fromthe power source 10 is transmitted to the transmitter 20 and thentransmitted to the receiver 30 that makes resonance with the transmitter20, that is, has a resonant frequency value equal to that of thetransmitter 20 using resonance.

The power transmitted to the receiver 30 is transmitted to the load 50through the rectifier circuit 40. The load 50 may be a battery or otherdevices requiring the power.

In more detail, the power source 10 is an AC power source to provide ACpower having a predetermined frequency.

The transmitter 20 includes a transmission coil 21 and a transmissionresonance coil 22.

The transmission coil 21 is connected to the power source 10 and ACcurrent flows through the transmission coil 21. As the AC current flowsthrough the transmission coil 21, the AC current is induced to thetransmission resonance coil 22, which is physically spaced apart fromthe transmission coil 21, through the electromagnetic induction.

The power transmitted to the transmission resonance coil 22 istransmitted to the receiver 30 which forms a resonant circuit togetherwith the transmitter 20 by resonance.

According to the power transmission using resonance, the power can betransmitted between two LC circuits which are impedance-matched. Thepower transmission scheme using the resonance can transmit the powerfarther than the power transmission scheme using the electromagneticinduction with the higher power transmission efficiency.

The receiver 30 includes a reception resonance coil 31 and a receptioncoil 32.

The power transmitted through the transmission resonance coil 22 isreceived in the reception resonance coil 31 so that the AC current flowsthrough the reception resonance coil 31.

The power transmitted to the reception resonance coil 31 is transmittedto the reception coil 32 through the electromagnetic induction. Thepower transmitted to the reception coil 32 is rectified through therectifier circuit 40 and then transmitted to the load 50.

In this case, according to the type of the electronic device to receivepower, the receiver may include the rectifier circuit 40, which isprovided at the rear end of the reception coil 32 and includes arectifier diode and a smoothing capacitor to smooth a rectified signal,if the supply of the DC power is required, or may have the structurewithout the rectifier circuit 40 including the diode and the smoothingcapacitor in the case of parts requiring the supply of power having anAC waveform.

In addition, the transmission resonance coil 22 and the receptionresonance coil 21 are elements to increase the transmission efficiencyof the wireless power. Accordingly, only one of the transmissionresonance coil 22 and the reception resonance coil 21 may be used ornone of the transmission resonance coil 22 and the reception resonancecoil 21 may be used.

The transmission resonance coil 22 of the transmitter can transmit powerto the reception resonance coil 31 of the receiver 30 through a magneticfield. In more detail, the transmission resonance coil 22 and thereception resonance coil 31 are resonance-coupled with each other sothat the transmission resonance coil 22 and the reception resonance coil31 operate at the resonance frequency.

The power transmission efficiency between the transmitter 20 and thereceiver 30 can be greatly improved due to the resonance-couplingbetween the transmission resonance coil 22 and the reception resonancecoil 31.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the transmission coil 21 accordingto one embodiment of the disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission coil 21 may include an inductor L1and a capacitor C1 and a circuit having predetermined inductance andcapacitance values can be formed by using the inductor L1 and thecapacitor C1.

The capacitor C1 may include a variable capacitor, and impedancematching may be performed by adjusting the variable capacitor. In thiscase, the variable capacitor may be series-connected. In addition, thevariable capacitor may be parallel-connected. The equivalent circuit ofthe transmission resonance coil 22, the receiving resonant coil 31. andthe receiving coil 22 may the same as the equivalent circuit shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an equivalent circuit of the power source 10and the transmitter 20 according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transmission coil 21 and the transmissionresonance coil 22 may be constructed by using inductors L1 and L2 havingpredetermined inductance values and capacitors C1 and C2 havingpredetermined capacitance values.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an equivalent circuit of the receptionresonance coil 31, the reception coil 32, the rectifier circuit 40, andthe load 50 according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the reception resonance coil 31 and the receptioncoil 31 may be constructed by using inductors L3 and L3 having presetinductance values and capacitors C3 and C4 having preset capacitancevalues.

The rectifier circuit 40 may include a diode D1 and a smoothingcapacitor C5 to convert AC power into DC power to be output.

Although the load 50 is marked as a DC voltage source of 1.3V, the load50 may include a predetermined rechargeable battery or a devicerequiring DC power.

A solenoid-type self inductance L and a parasitic capacitance C shown inFIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) can be expressed following Equations 1 and 2.

$\begin{matrix}{\angle = {3.94 \times 10^{- 5}{\frac{r^{2}N^{2}}{( {{9\; r} + {10/}} )}\lbrack{\mu H}\rbrack}}} & \lbrack {{equation}\mspace{14mu} 1} \rbrack \\{C = {\frac{4ɛ_{0}l}{\pi}( {1 + {0.8249\frac{D}{l}} + {2.3293\sqrt[3]{\frac{D}{l}}}} )\mspace{14mu} {{Farads}}}} & \lbrack {{equation}\mspace{14mu} 2} \rbrack\end{matrix}$

l: length of solenoid coil

r: radius of solenoid coil

D: diameter of solenoid coil

N: number of turns

Hereinafter, a wireless power transmitter will be described in moredetail.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a transmitter according to the embodiment ofthe disclosure, and FIG. 7 is a view showing a power transmission stateaccording to the embodiment of the disclosure.

In this case, FIG. 6 shows the structure having the power source 10 andthe transmitter 20 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 6, remaining components except forthe power source 10, the transmission coil 21, and the transmissionresonance coil 22 may be included in the transmitter 20, or may beincluded in the power source 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, the transmitter 20 may include the power source 10to supply transmission power, the transmission coil 21 connected to thepower source 10 and generating a magnetic field by the supplied power,the transmission resonance coil 22 coupled with the transmission coil 21to transmit power, a detector 23 to detect the existence state of thereceiver 30, and the controller 29 to control the state of the powersupplied through the power source 10 according to the detection resultof the detector 23.

According to one embodiment, the detector 23 may detect the state of thepower transmitted through the transmission resonance coil 22 and maytransmit the detection result of the state of the power to thecontroller 29.

The detector 23 includes a first power detector 24 to detect theintensity of power output through the power source 10 to convert thepower into DC power, a detection coil 25 to detect the intensity of amagnetic field generated from the transmission resonance coil 22, asecond power detector 26 to convert the power generated by the magneticfield detected by the detection coil 25 into DC power, and a comparator28 to compare the output of the first power detector 24 with the outputof the second power detector 26 and transmit the comparative result tothe controller 29.

In addition, the detector 23 may further include an amplifier 27 toamplify the DC power obtained through the conversion of the second powerdetector 26.

The detector 23 detects the intensity of the magnetic field generatedfrom the transmission resonance coil 23, and the controller 29 makes adetermination that the receiver to receive the magnetic field does notexist if the intensity of the magnetic field detected from the detector23 is greater than or equal to a preset reference value. In addition, ifthe intensity of the magnetic field is less than the reference value,the controller 29 makes a determination that the receiver exists.

According to another embodiment, the detector 23 may include a currentsensor connected to the front end or the rear end of the power source 10to measure the intensity of current at the front end or the rear end ofthe power source 10. According to one embodiment, the current sensor maybe placed between the power source 10 and the transmission coil 21. Thecontroller 29 measures the intensity of current output from the powersource 10 through a current sensor and makes a determination that thereceiver exists if the measured intensity of current is greater than orequal to a threshold current value. In addition, the controller 29 makesa determination that the receiver does not exist if the measuredintensity of the current is less than the threshold current value. Inthis case, the threshold current value may be the minimum value todetect the receiver.

An object of the transmitter according to the disclosure is toautomatically prevent power from being transmitted by detecting severalcases in which a receiver far away from the transmitter hardly receivespower transmitted from the transmitter or the transmitter does not needto generate power because receivers do not exist around the transmitter.

In other words, in the case in which a wireless power transmitter isinstalled in an interior and a wireless power receiver is mounted on acellular phone or a laptop computer, if the cellular phone or the laptopcomputer does not exist in the interior, or is located far away from theinterior, the transmitter can be automatically prevented from outputtingpower, or high voltage can be prevented from being applied to the coilof the transmitter by reducing the intensity of the output power.Therefore, the erroneous operation of the transmitter or the breakage ofthe transmitter, which may occur when the cellular phone or the laptopcomputer is located in a power transmission possible area thereafter sothat the transmitter transmits power to the cellular phone or the laptopcomputer, can be prevented.

The principle of the transmitter according to the embodiment of thedisclosure is as follows. The transmission resonance coil 22 shown inFIG. 6 stores power by using resonance. The quantity of energy stored inthe transmission resonance coil 22 is represented as “input voltage*Q(Q=Quality Factor)”, and the Q value of the transmission resonance coil22 is lowered as the power received by the receiver is increasedaccording to the approach to the transmitter.

In addition, since the magnetic force generated from the transmissionresonance coil 22 is proportion to energy stored in the transmissionresonance coil 22, the quantity of energy stored in the transmissionresonance coil 22 is reduced as the receiver approaches the transmitter,so that the intensity of the magnetic field is weakened. Accordingly,the quantity of power detected in the detection coil 25 is reduced.

The detection coil 25 is coupled with the magnetic field generated fromthe transmission resonance coil 22, and the magnetic field is convertedinto a DC signal in the second power detector 26. Since the outputsignal of the second power detector 26 is significantly weak, the outputsignal may be amplified in the amplifier 27.

Since the output of the first power detector 24 is constant, the outputof the first power detector 24 may be used as a reference value. In thiscase, the comparator 28 outputs a comparative result according to theoutput signal of the second power detector 26 based on the output signalof the first power detector 24 to the controller 29.

When the receiver is located far away from the transmitter, or does notexist, the energy stored in the transmission resonance coil 22 isincreased, so that the intensity of the magnetic field detected by thesecond power detector 24 is increased.

In this case, the comparative result output through the comparator 28may be the difference between the output value of the first powerdetector 24 and the output value of the second power detector 26.

If the receiver exists around the transmitter, the output value of thecomparator 28 is zero or a value approximating zero. If the receiver isgradually away from the transmitter, the output value of the comparator28 is gradually increased. If the receiver does not exist, the outputvalue of the comparator 28 may be equal to the output value of the firstpower detector 24.

Accordingly, the controller 29 may determine if the receiver existsaround the transmitter according to the detection result of thedetection part 23.

In addition, if the controller 29 makes a determination that thereceiver does not exist, the controller 29 stops the output of the powerof the power source 10. In addition, the controller 29 makes adetermination that the receiver exits, the controller 29 continuouslyoutputs the power from the power source 10.

Meanwhile, in order to periodically determine the existence state of thereceiver (the approaching state of the receiver) in the state that thereceiver does not exist, the controller 29 outputs the power from thepower source 10 at a predetermined period of time.

In addition, the controller 29 re-determines the existence state of thereceiver based on the power output at a predetermined period, andcontinuously stops the output of the power or resumes the output of thepower according to the determination result.

In this case, the controller 29 outputs the power at a predeterminedperiod through a time-division scheme in order to minimize the loss ofthe power.

In other words, if the power is continuously output at a predeterminedperiod for a specific time, the power loss may occur. Accordingly, thecontroller 29 outputs time-divided power at a predetermined timeinterval for the specific time to determine the existence state of thereceiver based on the time-divided power.

Meanwhile, the controller 29 periodically checks the detection resultsof the detector 23, and thus adjusts the intensity of the power based onthe detection result.

For example, if the quantity of power supplied from the power source 10is equal to or make a slight difference from the quantity of the powerreceived in the receiver, the controller 29 increases the intensity ofthe power output from the power source 10.

In contrast, if the quantity of power supplied from the power source 10is significantly less than the quantity of the power received in thereceiver, the controller 29 decreases the intensity of the power outputfrom the power source 10.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the disclosure, theexistence state of the receiver 30 is detected based on the intensity ofthe magnetic field generated from the transmitter 20, so that thetransmitter 20 may continuously transmit power or stop the transmissionof the power.

In this case, in order to detect the existence state of the receiver 30in the state that the receiver 30 does not exist, the magnetic field isgenerated at a predetermined period through a time-division scheme,thereby minimizing the loss of the power while detecting the existencestate of the receiver 30.

In addition, even when the receiver 30 exists, the intensity of themagnetic field is continuously detected, so that only the quantity ofpower received in the receiver 30 is supplied from the power source 10.

The disclosure is applicable to a power transmission technology based onelectro-magnetic induction. In this case, a wireless power transmittermay not include a transmission resonance coil, and the detector 23 maydetect the existence state of the receiver 30 by using the intensity ofthe magnetic field generated from the transmission coil 21. In otherwords, even in the power transmission technology based on theelectromagnetic induction, the controller 29 can enhance the powertransmission efficiency by adjusting the output of the power source 10according to the existence state of the receiver 30.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of transmitting power accordingto the embodiment of the disclosure according to steps.

Hereinafter, the method of transmitting the power will be described withreference to

FIGS. 7 and 8.

First, power is supplied at a predetermined period through atime-division scheme in the state that the receiver 30 does not exist(A, step S101).

Then, the intensity of the magnetic field is detected according to thepower supplied through the time-division scheme (step S102). In thiscase, the existence state of the receiver 30 is determined based on theintensity of the magnetic field (step 103)

If a determination is made that the receiver 30 does not exist, stepS101 returns. If the determination is made that the receiver 30 exits,the power having a predetermined intensity a is continuously supplied(B, step 104).

In this case, the intensity of the magnetic field is continuouslydetected even in the state that the receiver 30 exists so that the poweris continuously supplied (B).

In addition, the existence state of the receiver 30 is re-determinedbased on the intensity of the magnetic field.

Further, if the intensity of the magnetic field is increased in thestate that the power having a predetermined intensity a is supplied,power greater than the power required by the receiver 30 is suppliedthrough the power source 10. Accordingly, the intensity of the output ofthe power source 10 is reduced (C, step S105).

In addition, even if the power having the intensity b is supplied, theintensity of the magnetic field is continuously monitored, so that theintensity b may be increased or decreased (D).

Meanwhile, if the intensity of the magnetic field is significantlyincreased in the state that the power is supplied, a determination ismade that the receiver does not exist, so that the output of the poweris stopped.

Then, power is supplied at a predetermined period through thetime-division scheme, so that the existence state of the receiver isdetermined (E).

As described above, according to the embodiment of the disclosure, theoutput of the power is determined according to the existence state ofthe receiver, and the intensity of the power is adjusted according tothe approaching of the receiver, thereby minimizing the loss of power tobe meaningless wasted.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

1. A wireless power transmitter which wirelessly transmits a power to awireless power receiver, the wireless power transmitter comprising: atransmission coil for wireless transmitting a power; a power source forsupplying the power to the transmission coil; and a detector fordetecting an intensity of current output from the power source, whereinthe power source supplies the power at a predetermined period through atime-division scheme to determine an existence state of the wirelesspower receiver.
 2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, whereinthe power source does continuously supply the power if the wirelesspower receiver exists.
 3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 2,wherein the detector detects the intensity of current output from thepower source while the power source does continuously supply the power.4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, further comprising acontroller for adjusting the power according to the intensity of currentoutput from the power source while the power source does continuoussupply the power.
 5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 4, whereinthe controller re-determines the existence state of the wireless powerreceiver according to the intensity of current output from the powersource while the power source does continuously supply the power, stopssupplying of the power—if the wireless power receiver does not exist,and maintains supplying of the power if the wireless power receiverexists.
 6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprisinga transmission resonance coil coupled with the transmission coil and fortransmitting the power together with the transmission coil.
 7. Thewireless power transmitter of claim 6, wherein the detector comprises acurrent sensor.
 8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, whereinthe detector comprises a current sensor.
 9. A wireless powertransmission method by a wireless power transmitter to wirelesslytransmit a power to a wireless power receiver, the wireless powertransmission method comprising: supplying, at a power source, a power toa transmission coil; for wirelessly transmitting the power; anddetecting, at a detector, an intensity of current output from the powersource, wherein the supplying of the power comprises supplying the powerat a predetermined period through a time-division scheme to determine anexistence state of the wireless power receiver.
 10. The wireless powertransmission method of claim 9, wherein the supplying of the powerfurther comprises continuously supplying the power if the wireless powerreceiver exists.
 11. The wireless power transmission method of claim 10,wherein the detecting—of the intensity of current comprises theintensity of current output from the power source while the power sourcedoes continuously supply the power.
 12. The wireless power transmissionmethod of claim 11, further comprising adjusting, at a controller,according to the intensity of current output from the power source whilethe power source does continuously supply the power.
 13. The wirelesspower transmission method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting of thepower comprises: re-determining the existence state of the wirelesspower receiver according to the intensity of current output from thepower source while the power source does continuously supply the power;stopping supply of the power if the wireless power receiver does notexist; and maintaining supplying of the power if the wireless powerreceiver exists.
 14. The wireless power transmission method of claim 9,wherein the detector comprises a current sensor.
 15. The wireless powertransmission method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting of the powercomprises: reducing the power if the intensity of current output fromthe power source is increased; and increasing the power if the intensityof current output from the power source is decreased.
 16. The wirelesspower transmission method of claim 13, wherein the re-determining of theexistence state of the wireless power receiver makes a determinationthat wireless power receiver does not exist if the intensity of currentoutput from the power source is increased.
 17. The wireless powertransmission method of claim 9, wherein the supplying of the power isreturned if the wireless power receiver does not exist.
 18. The wirelesspower transmitter of claim 4, wherein the controller reduces the powerif the intensity of current output from the power source is increased,and increases the power if the intensity of current output from thepower source is decreased.
 19. The wireless power transmitter of claim5, wherein the controller makes a determination that wireless powerreceiver does not exist if the intensity of current output from thepower source is increased.
 20. The wireless power transmitter of claim8, wherein the current sensor is placed between the power source and thetransmission coil.